Bravery award for historic hang glider rescue

A man who freed a glider pilot who had become tangled in power lines has been recognised in the latest round of Australian Bravery Awards nearly 40 years after the rescue.

In June 1976, Andrew Mitchell was at his family's holiday house at Lady Bay on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula when a hang-glider crashed in to nearby powerlines.

After running outside to investigate, Mr Mitchell placed pieces of wood under his feet to shield the electrical current before using a stick to release the man's harness.

"There were some hang-gliders jumping off the cliff behind the beach house," he recalled.

"We noticed that there were quite a few flying around, watching them around about lunchtime.

"One of the guys that jumped off virtually sailed straight down and we were inside the house and the lights flickered on and off.

"I ran over the top of the sand dune behind the house and he'd hit the wires and was hanging there suspended from his hang glider."

Mr Mitchell says the man was unconscious but began to convulse and looked like he was being electrocuted.

He says another hang-glider pilot also rushed to the man's aid and the pair helped to trigger the quick-release toggle.

"It was welded together and still wouldn't release so we ended up hitting it with a stick," he said.

"The guy was released and the kite flew up in the air and he dropped to the ground and an ambulance was called.

"He was very badly burned," he said.

"I was very careful. I didn't grab him or let him touch me... I was insulated by standing on some timber.

"Everyone was around was sort of saying, 'don't touch him, he's alive, leave him there - wait for the ETSA crew to arrive,' but he was fairly well distressed, you sort of can't walk away and leave someone in that position."

Mr Mitchell was among three South Australians to receive a commendation for bravery.

Alfred Harding was posthumously honoured for a saving a boy more than eighty years ago.

In December 1927, Mr Harding was swimming in the River Murray near Renmark when the nine-year-old became caught in deep water.

Mr Harding saved the boy after swimming out to him but drowned during the rescue.

His younger brother, Harold Harding, says he never knew of his heroic efforts.

"I think if it was at the present time and a thing like that happened he definitely would have been recognised for an act of bravery," he said.

David Lowry of Hilton has also been recognised for pulling an elderly man from his burning house in Plympton in 2003 moments before the roof collapsed.